The night was more than just dark. The light of the moon cast down its glow and rather than a neutral, pale light some evenings it seemed to tint the world in a violet or, like tonight, greenish caste. Álarr stalked through the plateau. Every so often he'd pause, using one of his paws to sweep the snow off of a buried object. He was collecting a few odds and ends for use in his medicinal arts and fields full of human relics were as good a place to search as any. He figured he might as well hunt for materials since there wasn't much point to hunting for herbs in the middle of winter. He wanted to keep himself moving. These dark winter days it was tempting to just curl up in his den and never leave.

On the nights Hattori could not sleep he tended to wander from Ashen's borders, if even only to feel as though he was doing something other than wasting the night away. He couldn't confront the strange happenings of the world and it made him feel powerless, as though he was forced to take the passenger's seat and see where it all took him. That and he was becomingly increasingly discontent with Ashen as a whole made the Shogun broodier than usual, his eyes narrowed into thin slits as he came across Veteran's Plateau. Spotting the white outline of a wolf not so far ahead, Hattori paused and drew in his scent. A Fireside wolf, a vaguely familiar one too. As though Hattori had caught a glimpse of him once, between the clashing of tooth and claw. Now even Hattori was not the most diplomatic wolf, but to outright maul a neighbouring pack member just for being nearby seemed like overkill to the Shogun. Wasted effort with unintended consequences. By no means was he fond of their people, they had raided Ashen after all, but Hattori was a man of considered actions and not one of impulse. Sirius had misstepped and the whole world knew it, consider it a lesson learned. Standing at a reasonable distance, Hattori eyed the pale man as he dug through the rumble and wreckages. Taking care not to stab his paw with the razor edges of steel and iron, all bent and twisted out of shape. Mere echoes of what they used to be, purpose long forgotten. "What are you doing?" Hattori asked, accent thick and tone sombre.

Álarr's claws clicked on metal and he dug a bit deeper, reveal an old ammo tin. Digging in further to the hard ground, he seized the handle in his teeth and pulled to pull the item up out of the dirt. He then paused a moment as he heard someone approach. Álarr gazed curiously at the brilliantly colored man and noted he bore horns as well. If the healer was not mistaken this was Ashen's alpha. He quirked a brow curiously toward the other. Having been on opposite sides during a raid Álarr was wary of the other man. To Fireside it was nothing personal, just 'business' but he knew some wolves were particularly grudge-bearing and he had no idea where Ashen stood. Would the Ashen alpha seek to take some sort of revenge on the lone healer?

Instead of an attack he was greeted with a neutral question unrelated to past events. Álarr looked down at the old ammo case then back to the horned man. He decided in these times it wouldn't hurt to share where he found a number of items. He doubted it was that much of a secret anyway, especially to healers and crafters. "Looking for objects of use. Storage containers for herbs and the like. What brings Ashen's alpha to such a desolate land?"

The Fireside wolf's blue eyes gleamed with uncertainty, as though he was initially unsure of what to make of Hattori's appearance. The Shogun could see why, this place was far removed from any watchful eyes and ears, if the worse came to happen there would be no witnesses. Unless their companions were lurking nearby, which let's be honest they probably were. In a very detached and methodical line of thought, Hattori knew how he would handle it if blood had to be shed. That it would have to be a quick and precise movement, a quick slash of the throat to stop him from calling for help- Hattori blinked. Perhaps he really did some more sleep. He hadn't fallen into such a line of thoughts in a long time, shadows of his violent nature wriggling through to the surface. Reminding him of the awful things he'd once done, and might do again. One day, but not if he could help it. "Could not sleep." Need he say more?

Álarr used his paws to scrap the mud off the ammo box, turning it over for a minute while all the while keeping Hattori in the corner of his sight, just in case. It didn't seem like the Ashen alpha was out looking for a fight but it was hard to be sure. The other man seemed to have control over himself in a way that made it very difficult to tell what he was thinking and although the plateau bordered Fireside territory if a fight broke out it would be up to Álarr to defend himself.

"Could not sleep."

A faint smile graced Álarr's features as he nodded knowingly. "That makes two of us. I keep praying for spring, hoping that the world will right itself then and fearing what I will do if it does not. I assume Ashen has healers? There are herbs that can assist with sleep if that is of interest to you. I myself feel I have done too much laying about of late and my pack needs the herbs more than I."

What were the chances of the world returning to its natural ebb and flow? Hattori cast his gaze upwards, noting the strange streaks across the horizon and the strange colour of the moon. Being a realist at heart he knew things would likely get worse before they got better, they always did, but in this instance he couldn't hold back the desire to lean into wishful thinking. No doubt everyone had their own theories as to what was going on, he wondered what the Fireside wolf made of it all. How his pack of raiders and marauders interpreted all the signs. "We have capable healers, yes." He said, his ear flicking at the thought of his mother fussing over him. Offering even more concoctions that only dulled his senses, as if this was all something he could ignore. "Do your people have any theories? Is this all a sign from your gods?" No doubt it varied from culture to culture, but none of this aligned with any of the stories Hattori knew of. The Kami were capable of much, miracles and curses, but this? He did not see their influence, as though something completely otherworldly was at play.

There was a notable chill in the wind and although it was winter there was something abnormal about the chill. Álarr smiled softly at Hattori's question. "Perhaps praying was a poor choice of words on my part. We have no gods as a whole. There are some in the pack that have their beliefs and say this is a sign of Ragnorok, of the end of times." Álarr sat down, his tail wrapping elegantly around his paws. "Perhaps they are right. I believe in no such things as gods per se. But that said I have no explanation for this." He could come up with theories but had no practical way to test them. It could be the world had shifted in some way and in doing so lost the sun. Perhaps the shift in position and light was responsible for the mushrooms and crystals and even the fact that the moon seemed perpetually full. He really couldn't say. "What of Ashen?"